Sins are Debts and Debts need to be paid
by Kizmuth
Summary: Blowing out the lantern ends differently than expected. The Beast survives. And the townspeople of the Unknown gain new legends of the infamous creature that stalks through the woods . They add an apprentice. A thin boy with a heart of compassion and a mournful scream of agony.


AU canon divergent

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Sins are debts, and debts need to be paid

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It is always winter in the Beast's part of the Unknown. The trees have lost all of their leaves and are covered with a coat of white snow. It is always a bleak and dreary day in this part of the Unknown. As both the travellers and locals have come to understand, this world has a Beast lurking about. It is hidden within the shadows of the trees. The Beast stalks through the night, invisible like a spectre of darkness gliding through its realm, without a bother in the world. This Beast is the one everyone is told to fear.

The other Beast...not so much no.

The legends have changed over the years; the Tavern keeper is the first to change them after the many tales of a second beast appearing. Most of the time they spend telling that the new beast is nothing more than a child used as a puppet for the Beast's goals. That is until they see him wielding the tree roots. They see the new Beast crying in front of an Edelwood with a silver tea kettle glistening brightly as the small sun rays reflect it. The young Beast leans on the tree and mourns. His antlers are not as nearly big as his master's. However, their eyes are the same. It's just that the boy's are still filled with life instead of death. That is the sole contrast between them.

The lantern itself is in the hands of the elder Beast, since the young one cannot be trusted, or so the townsfolk speculate. They see the young Beast carrying the lantern when he is with the elder Beast everyone is still too afraid to speak of. So they sing about him. They hear he is flattered. Or so the young Beast confesses to them on an occasion.

It is when a bunch of travellers find themselves in the company of the young one that they realise his existence is misfortunate.

It is always dark in the Beast's part of the Unknown. More so than before. The Beast is gone, trying to find a lantern bearer. The young Beast is left alone to his own devices. The boy with brown messy hair that goes in all directions except the ones he is trying to make them comes about some brave townsfolk going on an expedition to the Unknown. He stops trying to fix his hair and comes closer, keeping to the shadows for his own safety.

He tilts his head a bit, the antlers almost get caught on a tree branch, and luckily they don't. His antlers are thrice as smaller compared to the elder Beast yet he can't move nearly as freely as his teacher can. The young Beast is irritated by that. A lot.

''Aye, d'ya remember when we only had one of 'em to worry about. I say those were the good ol' days. Now I am terrified of stepping one foot in 'ere. There are two of 'em now! TWO! You run this way,'' The man speaking flails his arms, ''Beast ready to snatch ya, ya run the other, another damn beast ready to kill ya! It ain't right.''

The other men murmur in agreement and return to their drinks and food.

''I still think the young Beast is nothing to worry about. Well, compared to the elder.'' A woman in blue speaks, red hair covering a part of her face. She is leaning forward, head hung low over the fire, and her hands are neatly folded on her lap.

''Aye, Beatrice, what do you know? You're the one to organise this expedition into the Unknown, pray tell us, girl, why did you ask us to accompany you.''

''In case the elder one shows up. You're all armed.'' The smirk she gives them puts them in a state of unease. Silence falls between them.

The young Beast comes even closer, watching his step and his antlers. He moves like a leaf through the wind, light and silent. A small smile faintly shines on his lips as he is just behind Beatrice and the tree behind her. He has missed her. O, he has missed his friend too much.

She has organised this to find him, she wants to find him. Beatrice doesn't care that he's...one of those things. The smile widens and the young Beast stipples his fingers together, looking up at the overcast sky.

''Wirt...I hope you're well.'' He hears her whisper and for once in his life that name fails to leave him. It's his and he shall go by it.

''I am managing.'' Wirt fails to realise how there are many armed people surrounding Beatrice. He also fails to realise that he has said this aloud. Meaning that everyone has heard and that panic has ensued.

Beatrice is the first to react. She grabs an axe that looks far too familiar to belong to her and aims it at Wirt. Something in her angry expression shifts, it softens when she realises it is him.

''Wirt?''

A small nod is all he gives her. He blinks a bit, his eyes flickering from the reflector type to the trippy flower child kind as emotions overcome him. Wirt flings himself at Beatrice and wraps his skeletal arms around her, pulling her closer to him, and sobbing into her shoulder.

''Oh Wirt...you beautiful mistake of nature,'' Beatrice returns the hug and the men ease up on the hostility as a result. ''I missed you.''

''I failed...I failed, Beatrice...I am so so sorry.'' Wirt's voice cracks and his whimpers continue. Beatrice rubs his back with her hand and tells him it's all right. That it's not his fault even though everything points to it. She tells him that he had no idea what would happen.

''I k-killed him...''

''No, you didn't know what would happen.''

''He came at me... and I just lost it ...and it happened and I...''

''No one blames you for that, Wirt.''

''He can't even go to Pottsfield!'' He screams and it's painful. Both teens realise how terrible it is to live in this wretched place but there is nothing they can do about it. So they adapt.

Beatrice is silent as Wirt rants through tears and hiccups. She only holds onto him.

''Oh God...Greg, I failed to save him, Beatrice. I failed to save my brother. I could have saved him if I just listened. I could have saved him if I didn't try to blow out the lantern...The Beast even tried to warn me but I was so overcome with anger that I didn't care what happened to me as long as I took him down. Funny how things take the turn for the worst, Beatrice...it's so funny.''

''It all happened so fast for me to understand it.'' The girl confesses softly.

''The Edelwoods talk. I hear him...I hear him sometimes, Beatrice. It hurts. He was six years old and he's dead.''

''I am so sorry, Wirt.''

''And it's my fault!''

''No no, Wirt. You came too late to save him. It's the Beast who is to blame.''

''If I wasn't such a horrible brother...''

It is silent, save for the crackling fire and one of the men Beatrice has hired munching on food. Everyone looks at him and he stops.

''Wirt, come with us. Please. None of us will hurt you. You can live with me and my family, please!''

Wirt breaks the hug and stands up straight; he is a bit taller than Beatrice. All he does is point to the antlers. ''I can't walk through a door.''

''Does that matter, we'll make you a bigger door, we'll renovate or something! That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard!''

''Beatrice...I am not as innocent as you take me to be. You do not want me near your family or you. A friendly chat here and there, I can manage that. And I needed this, thank you so much. It's just...'' Wirt looks down for a moment. ''The lantern burns twice as faster now. It needs more oil and I need to start...pulling my own weight. Plus...''

''Wirt...no one blames you for that.''

''He has a daughter, Beatrice, and I orphaned her!''

''He came at you with an axe out of fear, this very axe I'm holding. It was self defence, he was scared and my God so were you!'' Wirt notices Beatrice stepping closer and so he steps back. There is a slight swish in the air that should not be there. Wirt takes this as his cue.

''Goodbye, Beatrice.''

''Wirt, don't you dare walk away from me!'' Beatrice grabs his arm and holds onto it.

''You and your men are far too relaxed to be this far into the Unknown. I suggest you do not dwell deeper. Creatures that not even I wish to cross live within this part of the forest. Go back to Enoch, you'll be safer in his territory.'' Wirt pulls out of her grasp and moves towards the shadows with a frown and tear stains on his cheeks.

''WHAT ARE YOU TO HIM? AN APPRENTICE? A SON? A SLAVE? TELL ME, WIRT!''

Wirt shrugs. ''Does it matter? He's helping me, teaching me things that I need to know to survive. That's far more than I deserve.'' The young boy looks at the anomaly in the forest and sees him. He's waiting for him.

''Beatrice,'' Wirt turns to her and sees her eyes red and puffy. ''I will miss you.''

''Don't say such things.''

''Goodbye.''

''WIRT!''

He's gone. Disappeared into the Unknown just as the Beast she remembers.

Wirt is gone.

Beatrice mourns.

The townsfolk gain a new legend for the two Beasts.

One is the keeper of the souls, one is the evil that stalks through the night and leads those of weak will to their doom for its own devilish purposes. The other whom some call Wirt is a lost soul who stalks alongside the Beast as punishment for his sins. Some things are worse than death, being a beast is one of them.


End file.
